Unfortunately, the remaining Republican senators have shown every intention of using senate rules to obstruct as much as they can. There are several ways they intend to do this, most prominent among which is the filibuster.

I would suggest a rule change, which can be accomplished by a simple majority vote with the support of the President of the Senate (Joe Biden). I would advocate that we go back to the OLD Senate rule, where to maintain a filibuster a senator actually must hold the floor without leaving his feet or pausing in his speech. In this way, legislation cannot be defeated merely by the Republicans thwarting a 60-vote supermajority. We will simply have to wait them out. This won't be much trouble -- they have no Strom Thurmonds among them anymore.

They will also try to obstruct judicial nominees with personal holds. This is what they did to Clinton and it resulted in an even more exaggerated Republican majority on our courts. They've GOT to put a stop to this.

But they fully intend to block everything they can, even if they agree with it. The LAST thing they want is for the Obama administration and the Democratic congressional majorities to be successful.

Judging by the antics on the Stimulus Package, you are so right. The right whined endlessly about fiscal conservatism and certain measures contained in the bill, such as the possible LA to Vegas Rapid Rail line, and contraceptives. But numbers do matter, and despite their shenanagans, the bill made it through with few Democratic defections. (What about those 7 blue dogs that voted against it? Don't they like bringing home the bacon to constituents?). Boehner whined endlessly.

Government jobs are real jobs, Steele. I'm sure you don't begrudge the work of the FBI, the soldiers at the nearest fort, and those hardworking folks at the Weather Service. Would you like to have to pass the hat for you to have an army?

I really hate the Republicans' style of debate, and I hate even more the stupidity of so much of the public that causes them to fall for it. TGV Intercity Rail is something this stimulus bill SHOULD be paying for as part of its infrastructure improvement, and a line between LA and Las Vegas would be one of the most heavily utilized, saving the most gasoline and person/hours over the long term. But the Republicans try to paint it as something scandalous. After all, although a whole HECK of a lot of people WILL use it, most people never will, and because a sense of community is something Republicans battle against every day, they try to foment resentment at the benefits that OTHER people would derive from it.

Republicans are praying that we do not recover for at least four years. Their odds of having their prayers answered in this regard are pretty good -- this is a really BAD depression with DEEP roots that will be very hard to extricate ourselves from. The problem is an overconcentration of wealth, and many high-level economists realize this. Many Republicans realize this, too, which is why they push so hard for tax cuts that will make the underlying problem worse even as they and their cronies enrich themselves while the rest of us starve.

Remember, in the deepest depths of the previous Great Depression, the rich were the richest they ever got. It was the era of the V-16 Cadillacs, Duesenbergs, and Bugatti Royales, even while the rest of us couldn't afford old, worn-out, broken-down Model Ts. The ones toward whom the world's wealth concentrated were particularly well off, and it is they whose interests the Republican Party represents.